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Show (Highway Report Cites SkilledMatiager Meed Expenditures for state highways high-ways in Utah for the eight-year period, 1940 to 1948, represent a per capita outlay of $72, or approximately ap-proximately $9 per inhabitant of the state per year, it is reported in the current research report released by Utah Foundation, the private non-profit tax-research agency. Approximately $45 Vz million was spent for state highway construction con-struction and operation costs during the period, equivalent to $26G per registered motor vehicle, ve-hicle, or $33 per car per year. During the eight-year span, Utah spent less for state highway purposes pur-poses than did any of the other western states except Wyoming and Nevada. Gasoline consump-i tion in Utah during the same period was exceeded by four of the eleven western states. California, Cali-fornia, Washington, Oregon and Colorado. Utah Foundation comparisons are based upon data released by the U. S. Bureau of the Census relating to state finances, and the highway costs shown do not include expenditures for policing polic-ing highways nor grants-in-aid to cities or counties for local road purposes. The Foundation report cites estimates by the Utah State Road Commission that an expenditure of $161,000,000 for new construction con-struction would be required to ( 1 bring Utah highways on . the Federal aid system up to prescribed pre-scribed standards for today's traffic. If the modernization program pro-gram were scheduled over a . five-year period, nearly $34,000,-000 $34,000,-000 annually would be needed under Highway Department estimates. es-timates. A ten-year program would require re-quire $18V million per year, or if the construction is extended over a fifteen-year period, $13,-783,963 $13,-783,963 would be the annual bill if Highway Department estimates es-timates were carried out. No al-I al-I lowance is included for maintenance mainte-nance and other current operat- ing costs in these figures. I The Road Commission r con-j con-j tends that these heavy outlays would be offset by possible reductions re-ductions in accidents, time savings sav-ings for motorists between travel points, and lower operating and maintenance costs of cars driven on improved highways. The Utah Foundation report emphasizes the need for the most competent management of highway high-way plans and operations in view of the large sums of public funds involved. Citing the recommendation recommen-dation of the Utah Highway Users Us-ers Association for revamping the Utah Road Commission or ganization structure, the report points out that present policy limits the amount which can be i paid to a chief highway engineer in Utah to $4,500 per year, the same as the salary now paid to three full-time highway commissioners. commis-sioners. "In view of the large expenditure expendi-ture involved, it would be sound economy to secure the best possible pos-sible technical direction of the highway program, which would probably require substantial increases in-creases in pay scales for qualified quali-fied engineers," the report stales. "Pennies paid out for properly trained and efficient right-of-way personnel mean dollars in the taxpayers' pocket," the report emphasizes. |